RACE REVIEW:YANKEE HOMECOMING 10 MILER

It has taken me a while to get to this post.  For one thing, I've been marathon training like a mad woman; 360 miles in July alone.  So, that's part of it.  On top of that, I've been doing some contract work for my friend Kristina, who owns a killer small business (Koala Clip) and doing some coaching for another 2L athlete.  So, that's also part of it.  I've also been driving my 14 year old from the camp where she works to town to her various friends' houses to gymnastics; in no particular order and at a moment's notice.  Because that's how she's rolling this summer.  Whatever.  And then, if I'm being totally honest, I just haven't been motivated to write lately.  Which is probably the biggest reason.  I don't know if it's because I'm physically tired, mentally fried or just not into it, but the desire to sit down and and focus on a story has not been hitting these days as it usually does.  I tend to have stretches when I'm overflowing with information that I want to share.  Lately, however, my focus has shifted and even though, like today, I do have small windows of time where I can take a moment and put a hypothetical pen to paper, more often than not, I find myself choosing to do other things during these windows.  Like taking a walk.  Or a nap.  Or sitting down and eating a whole meal rather than eating a PB & J and drinking a juice box in my car.  I guess what I'm saying is that my urge to blog has receded a bit and because I'm happily into all the other stuff I have going on, I'm okay with it.  Which was a very longwinded way of telling you that I'm not shutting RWM down, but perhaps just slowing things down here and picking up momentum in other areas of my life; at least for now.  Okay, but still, I did race the Yankee Homecoming 10 miler on July 30th with my Whirlaway teammates.  And it was one of the crazier races I've done this year, primarily due to the fact that it was on one of the hottest days of the summer.  No joke.  It really was a great race, for reasons that had nothing to do with performance, and, in my humble opinion, it's a pretty good story.  So, here we go.

Current obsession:Landgrove Coffee

I woke up on race morning at my usual 5:45am and did what I always do - made coffee, walked the dogs, ate breakfast, etc.  It was no surprise when I checked my weather app and saw that the temp was already in the 80s and the humidity was stupidly high.  Think swimming.  I'd already known this heatwave was coming.  The kicker here, though, was that the race, which was still on despite these insane conditions which came with a very intense warning from the race director the night before about adjusting pace and expectations, was not starting until 6:00PM, so I had all day to stress and sweat about it.  Literally.  SO.  MUCH.  TIME.  I made more coffee, walked the dogs again, did some work, did some laundry, stretched, rolled, read; you name it, I did it.  After the second walk, I got the sense that my dogs didn't want walk anymore.  Just a hunch.

Enzo: Please, Mom, no more walks.

Around 2:00, I got in the car and left for Newburyport, which was 120 miles from my in-laws house on the Cape where I've been living for the month of July.  Yes, it still sounds as crazy now as it did when I was starting my trip.  But, I'm a team player and I'd already committed to this one for the Whirlaway women, so I wasn't going to be the one to bow out.  Three hours later, (that's right 3 hours), I was parking in a residential area of Newburyport.

It was a balmy 97 degrees outside.  I mean, I could only laugh.  I walked to the high school, got my bib, picked up a t-shirt and stood in shock for a moment, not really knowing what else to do with myself.  I'd seen my dear friend, Liz, on my way to get my number so I texted her and asked her where she'd gone, letting her know that I wanted to say 'hi'.  I found her as she was throwing her stuff into her car and she jokingly asked me if I was headed out for a warm-up.  The joke was funny because all you needed to do was stand outside.  Bam.  All warmed up.

Pre-race with Liz

We caught up a little, wished each other good luck and said goodbye.  Then I headed back to my own car to ditch my stuff and grab my headphones.  After that,  I figured I'd just walk back to the registration area and try and look for my Whirlaway teammates.  Honestly, if I hadn't had any luck tracking them down, I was ready to just shuffle jog the race to get a run in.  But, there they were.  It was wishful thinking, I know.  We all nervous laughed as we said our hellos and then Amy, Lauren and I headed off for a legitimate warmup.  As we cruised along, I asked Amy, who'd done this race before, if it was usually this hot.  She told me it was often sticky, but that it had never been like this in years past.   Awesome.  When we got back, I took a minute to stand in the area where fans were shooting cold water out, soaking myself from head to toe and hoping to cool off before the start.  Whoever set those up is brilliant.  Finally, we all walked over to the street and lined up, waiting for the death march...I mean the race to begin.

Post-warmup

THE RACE:

I had talked to my coach earlier in the day and told him about the weather.  He lives in PA and was dealing with the same crap, so he got it.  I asked him how I should approach this thing.  His response? "Forget any time goal and focus on effort and making sure you don't get heat stroke."  Well, all righty then.  Before I set off, I decided that anything under 7 minute pace would be a minor miracle and set that as my goal.  I also told myself to run smart, that there would be no PRs and that place was what mattered.  That and that I needed to put in some solid work for the marathon training that I've been doing anyway, so this was just part of the bigger package.  Truthfully, I really had absolutely no idea what to expect or what my body was capable in these conditions.  So, off we went.  I hit my first mile in 6:42.  I felt okay but was breathing heavier than usual.  Next mile, same pace.  At the third mile, I saw my friend, Kal ahead of me and picked it up to catch him.  He was pushing his daughter in a jog stroller.  Pause to give him a shout out for his badassery.

Post-race with Kalliman

Kal and I met back in March at the Cheap half and we've kept in touch and raced together a few times since then.  I figured I'd try and run with him for a while and see how I felt.  Turns out, he was cruising a little faster than I could handle and after a mile or so at his pace I knew I needed to pull it back or that shit would be hitting the fan sooner rather than later.  Did I mention he was pushing a jog stroller?  So, I dropped off and ran solo for a few miles at a much more manageable pace.  The fans on the course were beyond incredible.  Not the race volunteers, mind you.  They were awesome, too.  But, I'm talking about the people who lived along the course and were out watching and cheering.  There was someone outside with a hose at some point during every single mile.  That was a complete game changer.  Just when you thought you were overheating to a point where you might have to walk or stop, you'd get drenched by a cheering fan.  People offered oranges, water, popsicles, cold sponges, all of it.  It was like we were running the freaking Boston Marathon.  Seriously.  Once I got to the 7th mile, I knew I could likely grunt it out to the finish.  By this point my shoes were wet, my socks were sloshing, blisters were forming; it was really kind of touch and go.  But we were all in it together and I felt that sense of camaraderie among the runners more than I ever have in another race.  Finally, I was making the turn, uphill no less, to the finish.   PRAISE BE!!!

Finish time 1:08:50 (6:53 avg)

9th woman, 2nd Master (behind my teammate, Amy!)

Holy shite.  I stopped, put my hands on my knees and gasped for air.  I might have cried tears of joy.  Too hard to know with all the sweat.  My teammate, Amy, had finished before me and we gave each other a sweaty hug, because, well, why not.  I couldn't say anything for a while, just walked around and caught my breath.  Shortly afterwards, our team congregated in a corner and discussed the madness that had just unfolded.   The race volunteers were handing out ice pops and I grabbed a bunch and passed them out, all of us sucking up the sweet, icy deliciousness.

Post race w/ Amy, Lauren & Kassandra

I'll never forget those popsicles.  I have to say, that even though this event crew was thrown such a shit sandwich with the weather, they handled it beautifully and the race itself, though brutal for the runners, went off without a hitch.  I was really impressed.  Later I found out that all three of our womens teams (Open, Masters & Seniors) had come in first.  And that, my friends, is what this race and the day itself, was all about.  As I said earlier, this one was for the team.  The goal was to run hard and place high.  I found it incredibly refreshing to have a goal that didn't center around time for a change.  The weather, as bad as it was, gave me the freedom to just go out and do what I love.  There was so much joy in the whole experience which was not what I expected at all.  And as tough as it was, I left feeling elated and completely fulfilled.  Also unexpected.  Some of the goals I set for myself are lofty and just out of reach.  Who knows, maybe I'll never get there.  And that's okay.  I love aiming high.  But, I truly believe you have to have some goals that are realistic and can be achieved.  That it's essential to have both types of goals.  And that all of them, the big and the small, will help us get to where we want to be.  

Listen to this:

Yellowjackets - Fitness